Feasibility Report †Rail Service between Fort Collins and Pueblo - 2200 Words

Feasibility Report – Rail Service between Fort Collins and Pueblo (Other (Not Listed) Sample) Content: Feasibility Report à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Rail Service between Fort Collins and Pueblo [Author's Name] [Institution] Author Note [Include any grant/funding information] Table of Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Executive Summary PAGEREF _Toc453939393 \h 3The Problem PAGEREF _Toc453939394 \h 4Proposed Solution PAGEREF _Toc453939395 \h 5Feasibility of the Railroad Service PAGEREF _Toc453939396 \h 6Technological Factors PAGEREF _Toc453939397 \h 6Economic Factors PAGEREF _Toc453939398 \h 7Social Factors PAGEREF _Toc453939399 \h 8Environmental Factors PAGEREF _Toc453939400 \h 9Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc453939401 \h 10Recommendations PAGEREF _Toc453939402 \h 10Works Cited PAGEREF _Toc453939403 \h 11 Executive Summary The number of vehicles in the state of Colorado has increased over the past few years. This has caused a number of problems as far as traffic is concerned. On I-25 that connects Pueblo and Fort Collins, people experience a number of traffic jams each day. The problem of traffic congestion on I-25 is turning worse with each passing day. A data research company called Inrix ranked the I-25 traffic corridor as the 50th worst of the nation in the INRIX 2015 Traffic Scorecard CITATION Tam16 \l 1033 (Chuang). The number of cars on I-25 between the two cities can be reduced by providing people with an alternate method of travelling. Majority of the population that commutes between Fort Collins and Pueblo on a daily basis agrees that an alternate method of commuting between the two cities will ease the pressure of traffic on I-25. The studies conducted in this regard by various organizations such as Rocky Mountain Rail Authority have been conducted by taking into account the views of the experts and the general masses. Hence, the studies are quite accurate and clearly establish a need for the railroad connection between Fort Collins and Pueblo. One very good method of commuting between the two cities can be railroad which is absent at the moment. It is the need of time that an economical railroad connection between Fort Collins and Pueblo be established in the near future. According to the Colorado Rail Passenger Association, a railroad system connecting Ft. Collins with 3 other cities including Pueblo, Colorado Springs and Denver will supplement the road network of Colorado in a great way CITATION col15 \l 1033 (colorail.org). In addition to this, the rail road network will provide the residents of Colorado with better business and employment opportunities by allowing the people and the goods to travel between the cities at a faster pace. If the people of Colorado are provided with this railroad network, the traffic problems on I-25 will be solved and it will usher in a new era of economic growth and prosperity in the region. The Problem 32721556412230Fig. 2 The picture shows cars moving slowly on I-25 after 6 p.m. from denverpost.com; "Denver's stretch of I-25 ranks as nation's 50th worst for trafficà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ; The Denver Post; 16 Mar. 2016; Web. 16 Jun. 2016. Fig. 2 The picture shows cars moving slowly on I-25 after 6 p.m. from denverpost.com; "Denver's stretch of I-25 ranks as nation's 50th worst for trafficà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ; The Denver Post; 16 Mar. 2016; Web. 16 Jun. 2016. right457390519157953464560Fig. 1 The Chart shows the number of new vehicles that were registered in Colorado from the year 2000 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" 2014 from bizjournals.com; "Colorado new-car registrations up 6.8% in 2014à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ; Denver Business Journal; 30 Jan. 2015; Web. 16 Jun. 2016. Fig. 1 The Chart shows the number of new vehicles that were registered in Colorado from the year 2000 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" 2014 from bizjournals.com; "Colorado new-car registrations up 6.8% in 2014à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ; Denver Business Journal; 30 Jan. 2015; Web. 16 Jun. 2016. right264795000Over the years, there has been an increase in the population of Colorado. This increase in population along with economic growth in the region has increased the number of cars on the roads of Colorado. In the year 2014, new car registrations in the state of Colorado went up by 6.8% CITATION Mar15 \l 1033 (Harden). This means that a total of 188,416 new cars were registered in the year 2014 in Colorado (see fig. 1). This is a huge number of cars as far as registration in a single year is concerned. If such a large number of new cars come onto the roads of Colorado each year, the traffic problems are bound to rise. A clear manifestation of these traffic problems can be seen on I-25 between Fort Collins and Pueblo where people experience extremely bad traffic congestions every day. The worst traffic jam occurs every Friday at 4 p.m. when a 16-minute drive (on average) takes around 41 minutes CITATION Mar15 \l 1033 (Harden). The grave nature of the pr oblem can be understood by considering the fact that every year, commuters on I-25 spend at least 37 hours while stuck in traffic (see fig. 2) on the congested route CITATION Mar15 \l 1033 (Harden). The serious nature of this problem requires a solution; which is to provide an alternate method of travelling between Fort Collins and Pueblo. Proposed Solution In order to solve the traffic problems on I-25, it is proposed that a rail service be established between Pueblo and Fort Collins. The railway line will run along the I-25 and hence it would cause no problems in traffic flow on I-25 during the construction stage. This railroad service will be accompanied by other transit services (such as a bus network) in order to facilitate the citizens of Colorado in their commute. The railroad service will be designed in a way so that it is affordable for travelling for business and other purposes on a daily basis. This railroad service will not only improve the traffic situation on I-25; it will also enhance the environment of Colorado by cutting down on the greenhouse gas emissions CITATION col15 \l 1033 (colorail.org). A good railroad service running along the I-25 will also enhance economic activities in the region as transporting of goods will become cheaper and businesses will thrive. The capacity of transit services will also increase in the region as a two-track railroad service has the same transit capacity as a 14 lane highway. Colorado's population is growing at a very rapid pace and so are the economic opportunities in the state of Colorado. It has been predicted by the Local Affairs Department of Colorado that the population of the state will increase by 3 million by the year 2040 CITATION col15 \l 1033 (colorail.org). This means that the total population will reach 8 million and among them, 6.2 million will prefer to live along Front Range. Right now, I-25 is the only means of transportation between the cities. In order to cater to such a huge population in the coming years, it is vital that a railroad service that connects Fort Collins and Pueblo be developed. Railroad service has solved the traffic problems of many cities around the world. This solution for solving traffic congestion was identified by engineers in the early 20th century and a big example of the implementation of such a strategy is found in the transit system of New York City CITATION Dan22 \l 1033 (Turner). Feasibility of the Railroad Service The project of establishing a railroad service between Fort Collins and Pueblo is a big one and it will need prior planning on a massive scale. It is vital that the feasibility of the project be completed as soon as possible so that the project can be completed before the traffic problems become so grave that they become unmanageable. The feasibility of this project will be discussed by keeping in mind the technological, economic, social and environmental factors. Technological Factors Trains of today can reach very high speeds and such trains have made commuting between cities much faster and much easier. They have also made transportation of goods cheaper and faster for the businesses CITATION Tod07 \l 1033 (Litman). Considering huge advances in technology in railways over the past few years, it can be established that the project is feasible as far as technology is concerned. There are other technical aspects of the project that need to be considered as well. It has been proposed that the railroad service be established along I-25, thus, it means Interstate 25 will not have any closures while the project is being pursued. In addition to this, the transportation of materials and manpower will be easier because I-25 can be used for that purpose. All the machinery such as cranes, bulldozers etc. can be easily transported with the help of I-25. The transportation of materials can take place during the off-peak hours and hence the traffic jams can also be avoided during transportation. After conducting a feasibility study, the Rocky Mountain Rail Authority has also concluded that a railways service along I-25 that will connect Pueblo and Fort Collins is technically feasible CITATION Yon10 \l 1033 (Freemark). The analysis of the land also suggests that it is feasible to lay down a railway line along I-25 and it will be able to support trains that can run up to 90 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" 100 mph. The speed limits stand true for the portion that connects Fort Collins and Pueblo. An effort was made in the year 2004 to study about the feasibility of this project when Colorado House Transportation Committee approved to conduct a study regarding the feasibility of the project CITATION biz04 \l 1033 (bizwest.com). It was a step forward towards developing a railroad network to solve traffic problems and the feasibility studies clearly show that the project is technically feasible. Economic Factors Studies have indicated that the project is capable of making up the operating cost and can never pay back the construction cost CITATION Yon10 \l 1033 (Freemark). The construction of railroad between Fort Collins and Pueblo will serve more than 30 million passengers by the year 2035 and as a re...